.

What Christmas Means To Me

2010-11-15T09:44:00.000-08:00

Gloomy weather and 4:30 p.m. sunsets aside, I love the November/December months. I also love the music that comes with the changing season—specifically the album Snowed In by the pop trio Hanson. Without a doubt it is one of the best, if not the best, Christmas albums in music history. I used to spend endless nights in my bedroom humming along to the somber "Silent Night Medley" and snapping my fingers to the up-tempo "Merry Christmas Baby." The entire CD is musical magic.

Consider this link a gift from me to you: “What Christmas Means To Me” by Hanson, circa 1997

run with bugs and toads

2010-08-04T14:29:00.000-07:00

I’m running in Hood to Coast in T-minus 23 days. I wouldn’t go as far to say I’m not prepared, but I’m going to say it anyway: I’m not prepared.

Hood to Coast is a 197 mile relay race―actually the longest relay in the world. I’ve been “training” for the last month or so, but my training of late has been happening in the hellishly humid city of Ashland, Nebraska. Due to my inability to function in said hellish humidity, my activity level has been less than desirable―often involving beer drinking and Food Network watching. I’m still running a little bit though. Every night at 9p I make my way over to the Ashland-Greenwood High School track, run a few laps, rip off my shirt, and then run a few more laps while copious amounts of insects feast on my blood. Did I mention that the state of Nebraska seems to be infested with every insect species on the planet? Nebraska also has a lot of toads that my dog likes to put in his mouth.

Here’s a trailer for a soon-to-be-released documentary on Hood to Coast.

Writer Man.

2010-06-23T12:18:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, I enjoy writing a strongly-worded letter. Whether it’s a letter of gratitude or complaint, I get an abnormal amount of satisfaction from putting my thoughts down on paper and sending that paper to an unknown name.

Recently I wrote a strongly worded letter to a local auto shop (via YELP). In said letter I complained about the “obscene labor costs” and nearly $800 bill that resulted from my car visit. As a young man who knows little about cars (I know how to start them), I paid the price and drove away. I didn’t realize how obscene the charges were until my dad told me “Mike, these charges are really obscene.” Out of frustration, I took the passive aggressive route (i.e. I took to the internet) and wrote a bad review for the company. One week later, I got an apologetic e-mail from the owner of the shop and was reimbursed for 50% of the labor costs - $224.

I guess that’s all I have to say.

(Important note: the woman in this photo is not me. The mustang also doesn’t belong to me. I’m a man and my mustang is black. I'm also really pasty, and this woman is not. The photo is from www.allfordmustangs.com).

mouth pleasure

2010-03-29T12:50:00.000-07:00

I’m in love . . . . with Quorn faux chicken nuggets. I’ve had my fair share of meatless chicken nuggets, but nothing comes close to the pleasure these little treasures bring my mouth. They’re made with mycoprotein, which comes from a fungus. Unlike other meatless chicken nuggets on the market, Quorn products contain no soy, which means men can eat them without the fear of growing….umm…female-like breasts (seriously, read this article).

My love for the Quorn family of products led me to write the company an e-mail showing my appreciation. In return, I got an envelope filled with coupons. Not just any coupons, $1 off coupons.

Got human milk (cheese)?

2010-03-19T15:27:00.000-07:00

Humans are the only species that drink milk beyond infancy. We don’t continue drinking breast milk though – we actually prefer the milk of an entirely different species (* note: we’re the only species to drink milk of another species*). I’m curious when the first encounter with milk outside the human breast occurred. Who made the first mouth to animal udder contact? Who first gave those fleshy, dangling mammary glands a tug? I’m also curious why we haven’t expanded our milk intake to more animals: dogs, horses, pigs, etc. All these questions = so few answers.

I began pondering milk this morning when I read a post about breast milk on the eco-savy blog TreeHugger.The post was about a New York City chef who was reprimanded for offering cheese made from his spouse’s breast milk. Apparently the Department of Health isn’t open to the idea: “cheese made from breast milk is not for public consumption, whether sold or given away. While breast milk is healthy, we recommend it for infants, and any experiments with it as a food ingredient are best left for the home." As many know, I have no interest in the female breast – including its milk – but I think it’s pretty ironic that we no longer consume the nutritious liquid. What makes taking milk from another animal more acceptable than drinking the milk of our own?

Regardless of my questions, I have no plans to consume breast milk or its cheese. I suppose you could say popular disapproval has shaped my decision. However, for any of you lactating mothers, or individuals with milk producing friends/spouses, here’s the recipe:

2 cups human breast milk
2 cups milk of another animal (to encourage curdling)
1 ½ teaspoon yogurt
1/8 tablet rennet
1 teaspoon sea salt such as Baline

Check out Daniel Angerer’s blog (the Chef behind the breast milk cheese) for his take on his mommy’s milk cheese.

footlong

2010-03-18T15:07:00.000-07:00

I feel like the award for the catchiest jingle of all time should go to Subway for its “five dollar footlong” musical number. Upon viewing the commercial multiple times, I’ve found myself humming and even dreaming about said five dollar footlong. I even broke out the hand movements the other night while under the influence of alcohol.

On an aside, I used to be a sandwich artist. Yes, you read that right. At the tender age of 16 I was making a whopping $6.00 an hour creating Subway sandwich creations of all types.

my package

2009-12-15T11:40:00.000-08:00

I love my grandma. She’s kind of my hero. She sent me a package today. Actually, the post office sent me a slip saying they were holding my package until I paid a $15 shipping fee. Apparently grandma mailed it wrong.

My grandparents are infamous for filling gift boxes with items found around their house. Coffee mugs, quilts, pens, books, bowls, hats - you name it - I’ve received it. One of my favorite packages contained decorative plates and display hooks for my new apartment. No matter the uselessness of the items, I always get excited when they send me a package.

Today’s box was no disappointment. It contained a Christmas blanket, some pens, a coffee mug with a black lab graphic that read “spoiled rotten,” and a black lab statue. It made my day. Everything in that box reminds me of my grandma. I love it all.

My grandma used to tell me a story about a rabbit. When she told the story she would take her tea bag out of her cup and hide it in her hand. As she was telling the story she would use her fingers to mimic the rabbit jumping, eventually jumping from the table onto me. Without warning, she would squeeze the tea bag into the palm of my hand. I don’t remember the story in its entirety, but I do remember it ended with the rabbit urinating on my hand.

This is why I love my grandma.

Michael McManus, distinguished author

2009-12-11T15:15:00.000-08:00

(David Sedaris, funny author)

I want to be the next David Sedaris. I feel like we’re a lot alike, so it only seems natural for me to be his successor. I guess that means I have to write a book. How do you even write a book? I just wrote a 10 page paper for a class and feel like that was my limit. I even changed the margins, leading, kerning and font to reach 10 pages; technically it was probably only seven. My memory, well, is also mildly questionable (as noted by my persistent misplacing of small electronics). How does David tell stories from his childhood so vividly? I remember little things – like putting Vaseline on the door handles of my ex-girlfriends car when she did me wrong, but I don’t remember the details like David (the brand of Vaseline, how it was applied, how I felt when I was applying it, and what I did with the extra....who am I kidding, I was 16, of course I remember what I did with the extra . . . ) My book should also probably have a point. I want to make people laugh, but also want to teach them something. Kind of like “here’s a funny story, and here’s how you can feed hungry people.”

So, it’s settled. I’m going to write a book. Will you make the cut? (probably not, I feel like I’ll have to change names…just one of the legalities we authors have to deal with).

(wood) CHIP on my shoulder

2009-11-09T18:36:00.000-08:00

I'm a dreamer. Not in the inspirational "I have a dream" sense, but more so the I "dream a lot when I sleep" sense. I woke up at 6a this morning to my alarm singing sweet nothings into my ear (I have the radio set to NPR). With a smile on my face and a quick jump in my step, I considered my options and promptly hit snooze - five times. Afterall, I am a dreamer. As my arm was reaching over to round the five up to an even six, I heard a quiet rustle in the kitchen. I figured it was nothing until I heard "the noise." A crunch here, scratch there and the sound of something falling onto the floor. I quickly got up and found Peter, my young pup of a mere 7 months, chewing on my brand new $99 kitchen chair. If I was caryying something, perhaps a vase or a tray, I certainly would have dropped it out of shock. I immediately grabbed Peter, turned on the stove, and put his paw on the burning stovetop. I kid - I can't claim that. I read that in a book. I instead gave him a firm "yellin" and put him in his little crate.

The moral of the story? Don't invest in Bitter Yuck No Chew Spray. It costs $14 and is filled with nothing but empty promises. I sprayed it on everything I thought Peter would chew..and low and behold..he did. The rugs, the doors, my table and chairs. I even found him chewing on a fork the other day. He's lucky he's so damn cute.

Safety First

2009-11-04T10:26:00.000-08:00

Mairwen and I are now a part of an elite few representing the Portland HDR safety committee. This honor was bestowed upon us due to our commitment to safety, particularly in cases of fire. Officially, we are called “runners,” but don’t let the simplicity of that word fool you. When the fire alarm goes off it is our duty to usher all employees to the emergency fire exit and make sure everyone evacuates safely. We’re also responsible for making sure anyone with a disability makes it down the stairs, although not until all able-bodied employees evacuate. Additionally, we were given orange vests to wear so employees know that they can come to us if they have any questions during an evacuation. I suggested that we wear the vests daily so people become familiar with our new roles, but the idea was frowned upon.

Overdose

2009-10-15T10:46:00.000-07:00

I think I had an overdose moment today. As many of you know, I thoroughly enjoy the fruity flavor of a smoothie flavored Tum. When I woke up this morning I was craving something sweet. Unfortunately, the only sweetened treat I have in my house is an unopened box of apricot granola bars (there’s a reason they aren’t open). Needless to say, I ran for the Tums and popped in four. I quickly followed the Tums with a Pumpkin Spiced Latte from Starbucks and a 20oz coffee from Kettleman’s. Although my stomach feels abnormally settled, I keep burping an odd coffee/fruit flavored flavor.

Grown Man

2009-09-10T08:58:00.000-07:00

I feel like I’m growing up - like really growing up. As I was biking to work today I realized I want a station wagon. Not just any station wagon, but a Subaru Outback station wagon. You know, the family car with room in the back for your dog. This, coupled with my odd desire to start canning fruit at home, must mean I’m officially grown up.

The truth behind…tomato soup (at Safeway)

2009-08-27T12:51:00.000-07:00

It was a pleasant Wednesday afternoon. My friend Mar and I were hungry. We walked to the local Safeway to get lunch. We saw a soup station. I poured myself a bowl of tomato soup. I walked over to the cold soup area and picked up a container of the soup. I looked at the ingredients. The first ingredient was chicken stock. I left my bowl of soup in the bread aisle. I wrote a strongly worded letter to Safeway. Who puts chicken stock in tomato soup?

Monday is not a fun day

2009-08-24T09:18:00.000-07:00

So, it’s Monday. Damn, damn, damn, damn, damn. With that said, I’m too lazy to write much, so I will leave you with five thoughts.

1. Did you know that the maple flavored syrup you put on your pancakes in the morning actually contains no maple syrup? Here is the ingredient list off a bottle of Aunt Jemima’s Original Syrup: CORN SYRUP, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, WATER, CELLULOSE GUM, CARAMEL COLOR, SALT, SODIUM BENZOATE AND SORBIC ACID (PRESERVATIVES), ARTIFICIAL AND NATURAL FLAVORS, SODIUM HEXAMETAPHOSPHATE. Oh how I love a syrupy concoction of sugar. 100% maple syrup is a bit more expensive, but the taste overshadows the price. So damn good.

2. One of the joys of having a black dog is that they always appear clean – emphasis on “appear.” Case in point: bath tub after I gave Peter a bath.

3. The next time you cut up some green onions, put the roots and white stalks in a glass of water. In a matter of days you’ll have a new set of green onions. (sometimes I watch the food network a lot, okay?)

4. According to the movie District 9, aliens have an extreme fondness for cat food.

5. One of my all time favorite food books is “Eat This – NOT That” by Men’s Health editor David Zinczenko. According to the “Supermarket Survival Guide” edition, the worst soda on the market is Sunkist orange soda (one of my old all time fav’s). The 325 calorie, 20-ounce bottle contains 88g of sugar, which is equivalent to about 17 Chewy Chips Ahoy! Cookies. To rid your body of said sugary waste, you’d have to bike for 7 miles. Woah.

Bicycle Madness

2009-08-20T09:49:00.000-07:00

After a 4-5 week hiatus/lazy spell from biking to work, I strapped on my helmet, turned on my bike flashers and let the sweet morning breeze (and exhaust from a bus that I seemed to follow the entire way) blow in my face. Ah the joys of biking.

As many of you probably know, Portland is the most bicycle friendly city in the U.S. and the 2nd most bicycle friendly city in the world (right after Amsterdam…which seems to be a “friendly” place for a lot of things). We have bicycle lanes built into many of the main streets and bicycle boulevards built into others. When I bike to work in the morning I’m usually biking in bike traffic next guys in suits and girls in skirts – it’s a pretty cool sight to see!

L.O.V.E

2009-08-19T13:01:00.000-07:00

I’m in love…..and his name is Ranier, Ranier cherry that is.

I went to the farmer’s market today over lunch and bought a bag of Ranier cherries. I’ve always disliked red cherries, but these tart and sweet yellowish/blush cherries are seriously unlike anything else. As many of you know, I had (and perhaps still embarrassingly have), an undying love for the sweet and sour goodness that is sour patch kids candy. Although I no longer eat these little gummy guys, I’ve found their replacement in the Ranier cherry. Sweet, sour, healthy and local – damn tasty combo.

Lucky for us Northwest folk, the Northwest is the largest supplier of this sweet treat. Eat up!

I'm an addict. . .

2009-08-19T10:54:00.000-07:00

My name is Michael McManus……and I’m an addict.

I hear the first step to overcoming an addiction is admitting that you have one, right? Well fellow blog reader, I have one, and this is me admitting it. It may not be something I can drink, eat, inhale, snort or inject, but it’s an addiction nonetheless. I, Michael McManus, am addicted to the Multnomah County Central Library.

Whilst at the library yesterday (I’m not sure if I’m using “whilst” in the right context – I really don’t know how to use it correctly, I just like using it) I began searching for books on vegetarianism, pescetarianism and the like. I asked the librarian to point me in the right direction and she brought me to a backroom lined with wooden bookshelves. “Here they are,” she said. “Sweet Jesus,” I replied (okay, maybe I just thought it) – I hit the vegetarian reading material mother load! Before me were books on anything and everything you could imagine on vegetarianism – the history, reasons behind the lifestyle, cookbooks, etc. Being that I’m an amateur pescetarian (they didn’t have any books on pescetarinism..eeww) I decided to start at the beginning. And by the beginning I mean I checked out the book “Vegetarianism for Idiots.” I also checked out a book called “ “Cool Cuisine: Taking the Bite Out of Global Warming,” which presents a side of the vegetarian/pescetarian argument that I really haven’t addressed yet.

The issue:

In short, we emit a hell of a lot of carbon dioxide eating. More than we emit by driving. That’s pretty intense. Consider some of these food choices – and how they contribute to global warming (the facts are all taken from the book “Cool Cuisine")

-Meat and beef. It takes more than ten times the fossil fuels to produce a calorie of beef protein than a calorie of grain protein.

-Imported food and drink. Consider how much fossil fuel is used to ship foods from other countries to ours.

-We use 22 billion pounds of fertilizer just to grow the grain to feed livestock. Also consider the massive amounts of pesticides and herbicides used to grow produce and grain.

-Processed foods make up three-quarters of global food sales by price and typically require more energy to make than what we get back when we eat it. Not to mention the endless list of “scientific” ingredients in processed foods – if you can’t pronounce an ingredient and are wondering why it’s there – it probably shouldn’t be.

-More than half of all Americans drink bottled water. It takes approximately 17 million barrels of oil just to make the plastic for the 29-billion plastic water bottles used in the United States each year.

-Nearly half of all the food harvested in the United States goes to waste each year. Our food system generates 3,774 Calories per person every day, but we consume only about 2,100 calories.

-We throw away 98 percent of the 380 plastic bags we use each year, along with the 12 million barrels of oil it takes to produce them.

That’s obviously just a summary of a few of the ways our food choices are wreaking havoc on the environment, but an accurate summary nonetheless. So what’s a fella to do?

-Buy local, organic and in-season everything! Avoid tropical fruits, imported wine, and anything from outside your region.

-Avoid processed foods. Not only to curb global warming but for your overall health in general. Two warning ingredients to note are high-fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated oils (more so for health reasons).

-If you eat meat, switch to grass-fed, free-range beef or free-range chicken. Not only to curb global warming, but on an ethical standpoint, you should be concerned about animals being piled in pens and lots for the purpose of slaughter.

-Recycle. It’s pretty unsettling knowing that so many cities, states and people still don’t have a recycling program in place. Almost everything you use can be recycled and diverted from the landfill.

-Buy a reusable eco-friendly water bottle and use it for everything.

-If you drink milk, buy local or organic. Better yet, buy the milk in the glass bottles that you return to refill.

-Use reusable grocery bags. If you use plastic bags, bring them back to the store on your next visit and place in the “recycle” box at the door of the store.

This list could go on and on, but I think this gives you a pretty good idea of some realistic changes you can make to better your health and the environment. These steps, coupled with a few more, are things I’m trying to do to minimize my carbon footprint, better my health, and sustain the environment. I hope it’s something you consider too!

Sometimes I post twice in one day, okay?

2009-08-18T13:29:00.000-07:00

As I was re-reading the post that I just made, I realized that I forgot to share some unsettling news. Two days ago, as I was walking little Peter, I came upon a homeless person taking a dump in someones front yard. As I walked by he acted startled and said "Oh, excuse me."

Who does that?

Let them eat bread...salad

2009-08-18T13:20:00.000-07:00

Day 4 – 1:20p

I am now officially in day four of my pescetarian life. Surprisingly, I haven’t really had the desire to consume any beef and/or poultry products. This may or may not be a result of the beef binge fest I partook in while in Omaha, but that’s neither here nor there.

A few staples to my diet of late: Tomatoes, fresh greens, cottage cheese, hummus, cheese and multigrain bread. Not surprisingly, these were staples to my diet prior to the lifestyle change (minus the hummus – which is a new obsession – sometimes I over indulge, okay?).

Coupled with the new pescetarian lifestyle is the omission of any food/drinks containing high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and hydrogenated oils. You’d think this would be an easy task, but unfortunately, almost anything you buy in a bottle and or box contains one of the two.

On another note, I semi-invented my new favorite meal/salad consisting of many of the above ingredients. For starters, I love a nice salad. But making things complicated, I love a nice chicken salad. So what’s a pescetarian to do when the chicken must be eliminated? Well fare reader, let me tell you.

While in Omaha I hit up the most amazing salad hot spot ever: Jams. Jams literally has over 20 gourmet salads to choose from - one such being the grilled Tuscan bread salad. It was a salad sensation to say the least. The salad consisted of grilled bread, tomatoes, kalamata olives, pine nuts, red onions and capers. Making things even better, it was tossed in pesto – dear god.

I semi-recreated said grilled Tuscan bread salad two nights ago. It was glorious. I left out the pine nuts, capers and olives (mainly because I didn’t have them) and used homemade Italian vinaigrette instead of pesto (pesto’s a little too oil heavy to have too often). It was a culinary masterpiece. The next time you make a salad, buy a fresh loaf of bread, brush it with some olive oil and grill it. It’s better then chicken – promise.

** Pescetarian - person who is vegetarian BUT ALSO EATS FISH.

I like vegis...and fish.

2009-08-06T12:12:00.000-07:00

And so the cycle continues. I, Michael McManus, am entering into the blogosphere for at least the 8th time. You’d think blogging would come naturally to me - after all I am paid for my exquisite use of the written word. But much as my life’s history demonstrates, it’s hard for me to commit to something for an extended period of time. Well folks, times have changed and this blog is proof. I’m going to blog everyday and it’s going to be about life changing, important information (i.e. my dog Peter). Actually, this blog does have a purpose.

Now before I go off on a tangent about the content of this blog, I must give credit where it’s due. Katie and Brendan Soule: co-worker, friends, 30-day vegans. Their blog, veganfor30, documents their transition from meat loving mongers to animal adoring aficionados. I love it! And it has truly inspired me to make some changes in my life.

So let’s get down to the deets (that’s now the cool way of saying ‘details’). Starting August 15th, I’m pushing aside the roast beef sandwiches, medium-rare steaks and cheese filled Runza’s (I know, seems impossible…) and will be embracing a pescetarian lifestyle. For you undereducated friends of mine, a pescetarian is a semi-vegetarian that restricts certain types of meet. In my case, the only meat I’ll be eating is seafood (it’s healthy and I really don’t have any ethical issues with killing a fish – is that bad?)

Starting August 15th, I’ll be documenting my experiences through my blog. Portland is the ideal environment for a pescetarian so expect a many detailed, informative and perhaps entertaining blog. I want to cover cooking experiences, temptations, mistakes and the like. And of course, Peter.

Only nine days left of living…..with meat.

Iron Man. Iron Gym

2009-02-21T12:19:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I like to use my Iron Gym home gym system. Please watch the first video and proceed to #2 - in a mere 3 months I too will look like that man.